A second-round draft pick out of Notre Dame last year, Tate caught only 21 passes for 227 yards with no touchdowns. He made some impressive catches at practice during training camp and early in the season, but he struggled with running precise routes and making the right reads.

"There's nothing we would like to see more than to elevate Golden's effectiveness," Carroll told the Tacoma News Tribune. "We just didn't get him over the hump last year, and we need to do that. He'll be in a position to take over a huge role for us."

Carroll believes Tate should get more playing time in 2011, particularly in third-down situations as the slot receiver. That's similar to how Brandon Stokley was used last season. Stokley, who worked with Tate a lot after practice on improving his route running, is a free agent who turns 35 next week.